I would like to thank Valerie Halton, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Services, for replying to my letter regarding Social Services in Redcar & Cleveland. It is reassuring to know Social Services' care will be improving for the residents.

I do understand most people prefer to be cared for in their own homes, but there are many who after major surgery do need 24-hour care. Are there facilities and staff to deal with these cases? Will there be enough care home beds available in the Redcar & Cleveland area, when needed and will the private sector give as good a service as the council homes?

My main point involves the £3.6m allotted to the building of a new Town Hall for Redcar which, as other readers have pointed out, will create more parking problems and traffic chaos.

Wouldn't this money be better spent on all the Social Services to benefit all the people under the umbrella of Redcar & Cleveland Council, from South Bank through to East Cleveland?